ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Thursday said that the government had directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other relevant bodies to submit a report after citizens in various cities complained about internet connectivity issues.
Her statement comes a day after the business community and the internet service providers said that the government’s enhanced efforts to monitor internet traffic had resulted in a significant slowdown of services nationwide, causing huge losses.
The Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap) said internet speeds over the past few weeks fell by 30 to 40 per cent and warned that the situation had become so dire that many businesses were considering to relocate to other countries.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Khawaja said that the government had sought a report from PTA and other relevant institutions pertaining to the disruption of the internet.
“The relevant authorities, including PTA, have been asked to inform us about the impact on data traffic in the last two weeks,” she said.
“Internet should never be slow, we have even been talking about bringing 5G technology to Pakistan. There is no doubt that, and conversations about higher [internet] speed are underway.”
The minister went on to say that the installation of a firewall by the government is a routine exercise and has nothing to do with service disruptions.
“There was a web-management system being operated by the government before too, which is now being upgraded,” she said.
Major online platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp have been hit hard while users reporting slowdowns and difficulties in accessing messaging and social media applications.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had said it had not received any complaints related to internet disruptions yet.
